A- Dark mahogany body with a half finger white head with limited retention. No lacing.

S- Smells interesting. A bit of cardboard, a bit of dark fruit, and a predominant sweet sugary maple syrup-like scent. This has clearly oxidized over the last 3 years, and while it still smells interesting, I am sure that it did not improve much, if at all.

F- Maple syrup, candi sugar, caramel, toffee. This has the elements of a generic strong ale with a distinct syrup character. There is some oxidation that detracts from it, though.

M- Medium body but with a sticky syrupy consistency on the finish; lower in carbonation, a bit difficult to drink given the strong oxidation that has taken place over the last 3 years despite being cellared properly in a wine fridge.

O- If you are still sitting on bottles of this, I would crack them open and see if it's come to a place where you like it. I don't think this has done very well with age on it.

Obviously much anticipated,I am glad to grab a few bottles before they are gobbled up here in my area.Poured into an oversized wine glass a deep dark brown with some deep reddish colored hue when held to the light,a large clingy off white head atop.A mix of a whole lot of good stuff going on in the nose,winter spice,molasses,roast,and resiny hop comes through.Flavors are quite sweet at the onset with mollases and spice,some leather and dark fruit also show up,then a deep resiny hop flavor comes and really finishes this beer out as good as you can.Big chewey and mouth coating,you cant ask for a much better mouthfeel.Man I really like this beer,many times a anticipated beer doesnt live up to the hype,this does.

S: Very light smell. Sweet with a hint of spice and not much in the way of hops.

T: Suprisingly, there is no strong taste but it all works. There is a clear woody note with a caramel and fruit mix behind it. The alcohol is completely hidden.

M: SMOOTH. This beer is definetly a smooth one. There is a ever so slight burn but this beer is incredibly drinkable.

I can't comment on the value of this beer because I had to pay considerably more than shelf price for mine. I will say it's a nice beer and one worth trying... just ashame it's not available like your average 6 pack.

First sip brings crisp dark malts moving into herbal and earthy tones. Syrup is bold and weaves in well with maple tones and a bit of fruitiness throughout. Not overly sweet and it goes down well. A tasty strong ale.

Medium body overall with a creamy and smooth texture. Goes down pretty darn easy for the ABV. Overall this was a good collaboration and a tasty brew.

Nice beer. Definitely a sipping winter warmer sort of brew. Pours nearly black, light tan head that dissipated quickly. On the nose it was nice and roasty, caramel, baking spices. The body was somewhat light like a stout, it hid it's 10% alcohol well. I noticed the spruce much more than the maple. The flavor profile reminded me much more of a Sierra beer than a Dogfish. Makes me wonder what sort of beer one might brew from the yeast in the bottom of the bottle

$11.99 for the 24 ounce bomber @ DeCiccio's in Ardsley, NY. Nice label artwork, but sadly no freshness/vintage info, even on a brew that's label speaks about "encouraging aging" oh well, another opportunity lost. This beauty pours darkest of browns, under a stocky dark khaki/mocha head, that stays and stays. Leaving gobs of sheeting and modern art lacing. The sniff reveals bountiful aromas of raisins, maple and dark malts. Full flavor sipper, notes of more raisins, ample maple (w/o being too sweet somehow) and again more lucious dark malts. Yummy creation, 10% well hidden...can you say Christmas dinner dessert beer/night capper. I hope to be able to get at least a few more bottles of this one ASAP

Beer pours dark brown with a white head. The aroma is malty, with lots of caramel malt. The flavor is malt along with dark fruits including cherries. You also get a maple flavor that is very nice. The beer has a big alcohol warming affect but the alcohol is not that present in the flavor. Medium mouthfeel and very drinkable.

I have a couple of these put away and will be anxious to see how they age.

Pours very dark, but not quite black. Nose is chocolatey, with a bit of wood, vanilla, maybe a bit of cherry, and I definitely pick up alcohol. Really wasn't impressed by the nose. Just more boozy than anything else. Taste is very chocolate forward. I also catch a bit of fruit, vanilla, some roasts, lots of wood, and also quite a bit of alcohol. Mouthfeel is very nice. Creamy with mild carbonation. Lots of wood on my tongue that lingers on and on. Overall this was good, but not to where my expectations had it. I have one more bottle, and I'm hoping to find at least one more now that I'm looking for it (I just stumbled on 2 bottles today without looking for it.) Really hoping that I will enjoy this more with a bit of age on it. Lots of potential here.

Edit: MUCH better with age. Just opened my 2nd and last bottle about 2 weeks ago and it was fantastic. Age this beer!